- Like swapping a petrol car for an electric vehicle, the UK needs to upgrade its climate targets

Today Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry announced that the Government will seek advice from the Committee on Climate Change on how it needs to strengthen the UK’s emissions reduction targets in line with the Paris Agreement.

Katherine Kramer, Global Lead for Climate Change at Christian Aid said: “It is great to see that the Government have recognised the need to strengthen the UK’s emissions targets in line with the Paris Agreement.

“The Government have made good progress on tackling plastic pollution and it’s right that it now turns its attention to tackling climate pollution.

“In reality this means the UK will need to look at bringing in a net zero emissions target by 2050, and achieve it in a sustainable manner, something already called for by scientists Joanna Haigh and Lord Krebs. The world’s poor cannot wait, they are already experiencing the lethal effects of climate change.

“This year marks ten years of the Climate Change Act. When it was introduced in 2008 it was a world leading piece of legislation. But ten years on it’s in need of an overhaul to make it fit for purpose. Like buying the best fuel-efficient car back in 2008, today there are now much better and cleaner electric vehicles on the market and the UK needs an upgrade.

“It’s only right that the UK moves quickly on this because currently it is not doing its fair share of the global effort to tackle climate change. New analysis by Christian Aid has shown that the UK needs to significantly up its game in reducing its emissions and helping poorer countries to develop with zero-carbon technologies. Christian Aid’s report Climate inequality in the Commonwealth, shows that with its fair share of clean energy investment it could almost eradicate energy poverty in the Commonwealth.”

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